Netflix, Fandango to adapt Ferrante novel

Global streaming giant Netflix is adapting the latest novel by Italian author Elena Ferrante, The Lying Life of Adults, as a TV series.

The show will be developed by Netflix and Domenico Procacci’s Italian prodco Fandango.

The Lying Life of Adults is set in a divided Naples in the 1990s and follows the transition of a girl from childhood to adolescence. The book was released in Italy last November and will be launched globally this September.

Ferrante’s other works include four-book series Neapolitan Quartet, which was adapted into a miniseries by Fandango for US cablenet HBO and Italian networks Rai and TIMvision.

Renamed My Brilliant Friend, the Italian-language series’ first season aired in 2018, followed by a second season earlier this year. A third run has been announced, with a fourth also anticipated in order to complete the quartet.

Ferrante’s novel Troubling Love was also adapted into a feature film titled Nasty Love in 1995, while The Days of Abandonment was made into a film in 2005.

Felipe Tewes, director of local-language original series at Netflix, said: “We are incredibly honoured to be entrusted to develop a series based on The Lying Life of Adults. Elena Ferrante books have inspired and captivated audiences in Italy and around the world, and we are thrilled to bring her latest endeavour to the screens of our global audience.

“We are also excited to continue our partnership with Fandango and invest in more unique made-in-Italy stories that we believe will resonate in Italy and around the world.”